Is this a first?

[Whirlybird]

pponting,

I wasted about £130 per month just smoking (I quit 1st Jan 05), just enough to cover an hour in a trainer including a few touch and goes, yet no one ever tutted at me and said, sheesh, your parents must be rolling in it for you to be a smoker, but hey, I only did a lesson per month so any smoker out there could get a PPL.

EXTREMELY good point.

I heard of a teenager who was hooked on helicopters. So he got a part time job stacking shelves in a supermarket, and managed to pay for one lesson a fortnight. He hoped to have his PPL(H) in two years, then go comercial, at a very young age.

But of course, when he does, there will be those who say he only managed it because of rich parents.

[eoincarey]

Hang on a second

Slightly confused!! How can you do a night rating before you've done your ppl? Can you legally do that?

Anyhoo, bloody well done. I didnt solo till i was at least 17, and passed my GFT when i was 18, and I know what its like flying at a young age.

Eoin

[TheKentishFledgling]

Slightly confused!! How can you do a night rating before you've done your ppl? Can you legally do that?

Yup. A night rating can be combined with a PPL - quite a few FTOs offer this package!

tKF

[Bob Stinger]

Well done Chris, i heard Westair had somebody who was going to do both day and night solo on the same day.

[PPRuNe Pop]

I think the night solo and day solo together might be somewhat unique but I doubt that the 16 year old birthday solo student is.

I re-call one David Perrin, yes the very one, who on his 16th birthday just jumped into an RF4 at Biggin at about 0905, take-off and do an immaculate aeros display over the airfield. It would be 1970 I think.

I was one of two or three pilots who flew with him when he was a student, to keep him legal, but who could demonstrate then his immense skills. Twas a great day that.

Anyway, well done Chris. A very nice achievement.